A New Opportunity
by curlyandforks
Summary: Seamus and Dean become the best of friends, but have always felt a little more for each other. What happens when disaster strikes and Dean is changed forever? Is their love meant to be? Is it such a catastrophe after all? Enjoy :)
1. Chapter 1

A New Opportunity

The First Encounter

*Disclaimer: We own NOTHING. Nothing, ya hear? All belongs to Ms Rowling. Lucky lady…

-Seamus

I stared up at the starred ceiling of the Great Hall; Hogwarts. A small, delicate hand placed itself on my arm. I looked up at Dean, who was smiling down at me reassuringly.I grinned back. He knew I was nervous. Two magical eleven-year-olds, one half-blood, one muggle-born.

We didn't know what to expect as we shuffled anxiously in-between the benches filled with students watching us. We gathered in front of the deputy head, who had previously introduced herself as Professor McGonagall, was holding a three-legged stool in her long-fingered hands.

"Neville Longbottom," she called. "Please come up."

A stout, brown-haired boy looked around nervously before slowly making his way up to the podium.

"Come now, Neville, we haven't got all day." McGonagall instructed kindly, but firmly.

The small boy shuffled a little more urgently than before, and plonked himself down on the stool. The professor placed an old, tatty wizard's hat on Neville's head. Without notice, the hat jerked to life, slipping down over the boy's eyes. As he shoved it back upon his head, a crease above the hat's rim opened;

"Ah, a Longbottom. I remember your parents, oh, a sad case, theirs."

Neville cringed and a silent tear rolled down his chubby cheek. Dean and I looked at each other awkwardly, not knowing what to do but feel sympathy towards the young boy reminiscing about his parents.

"However, they both showed bravery when it mattered most, and with their blood coursing through you, it is a simple choice I am to make for you today. GRYFFINDOR!"

Neville swayed with both intense grief and happiness as he stood and walked down the aisle to find a seat with his new house, who would soon become family to him.

When we next looked at each other, our faces mirrored identical smiles. Shocked, I started to laugh and Dean followed suit. He grabbed my hand, and I was surprised by a shiver of electricity that ran through me. "Dean Mattais Thomas. Nice to be properly introduced, I t-thought…" he said, stuttering.

"Seamus Finnigan, nice to meet you too, Dean! You…you thought what?" I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"Oh, nothing, I was just wondering if…if maybe you… I don't know…wanted to be f-friends? Like, with me? You don't have to, you know, just if you w-wanted to-"

"Of course I want to, YEH SILLY GOOSE!" I shouted, drawing more attention than was necessary. I got quite a few dirty glares and one or two quizzical looks, but most people ignored me. I didn't care, I'd just made my first friend. And i had the feeling that we'd make it through anything that came our way, so long as we had each other.

"Dean Thomas." My heartbeat sped up to the point that I thought it would burst out of my chest. As he walked up to the podium, I started to panic; what if we weren't in the same house? What if I wash't in the same classes as him? I had felt this insane connection to the tall boy with adorable hazel eyes already, and I had only known him for a few hours. As the hat opened its 'mouth' to give it's decision, I felt as though I had swallowed the Sahara desert.

"Ah, I see, plenty of ambition in this young head, ambition in this school, and ambition to protect those who are special to you. I see a young Irishman who has already found a place in your heart." Dean's face blushed profusely at this; I giggled. Was it true?

"Oh, this is only too easy…yes, there's only one place for you…GRYFFINDOR!"

-Dean

Breathing more from relief than a real need for oxygen, I made my way to the Gryffindor table. My fellow students greeted me warmly, the cheering nearly deafening. Two red heads came up to me and asked me if I'd seen their brother. Realising that this was the ginger who was stood behind me in the queue, I replied that I had. Grinning at each other, they disappeared. And that was my first encounter with the Weasleys.

A name rang out. "Seamus Finnigan." My heart stopped. What if he wasn't in my house? What if he was too smart for me? Too kind? Too EVIL?! _No, that's impossible_ , I reassured myself. After all, he'd become friends with me, a muggle born. A Slytherin would never do that. Turning to face the raised platform, I heard these words: "…and considering that you've already found a special Gryffindor friend, there can only be one place for you. GRYFFINDOR!" And with that, Seamus bounded off the podium and into my waiting arms. We embraced for a few seconds, then, realising what we were doing, awkwardly released each other. Laughing, we sat down.

"So, what do you think, Fred? Are they meant for each other or what?"

"I can't say George, only time will tell…"

-Seamus

"So, Seamus, where's your wizarding blood from?" George Weasley asked me.

"Me dad's a muggle; Mam's a witch. Was a bloody great surprise for him when he found out." Fred gasped dramatically.

"Swearing already? Must be a Gryffindor." George laughed, dimples rising in his freckled cheeks. "Our brother's Ron, you might have met him already," Fred said, pointing to a gangly redhead a few seats down. "See that one with the glasses next to him? That's Harry Potter, that is."

I did a double take when I heard that name. I squinted-it really was him! I could make out the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. I couldn't believe that I would be sharing a dorm with _the_ Harry Potter!

I heard Dean laughing distantly; I then realised that he would also be in my dorm. My insides decided to impersonate Devil's Snare around my stomach, making me feel as if a thousand butterflies we trying to escape through my mouth. My one friend so far, the one who had embraced me so readily even though we hardly knew each other; the one who I felt a serene connection to. I felt a blush creeping up my neck. Raising my collar in an attempt to hide it, I mumbled to Dean that I needed some air. I walked quickly from the hall, eager to get outside for fresh air. I reached a bench and sat down heavily, my head swimming. The footsteps approaching me from behind felt a thousand miles away. A hand rested on my shoulder as I began to drift into the realm of unconsciousness. Long arms cushioned my fall, and the world fell away from under me.

My eyes flickered open; the light seemed to burn through them. A face swam into view. It was Dean, sitting by the side of the bed. He looked as if he hadn't slept in days.

"Dean…?" I croaked. He glanced up, hope lighting up his dazzling eyes.

"You're awake," he whispered, "I was so worried. I followed you out of the Great Hall and when I found you, you just collapsed! I've been waiting here ever since."

"How long have I been out?" I asked, gingerly sitting up.

"Only a couple of hours." Dean replied, grabbing my arm to steady me. "You'll be alright, Seamus. Take your time."

-Dean

Transfiguration was one of my favourite subjects, and sitting next to Seamus just made it better. I bounced down the corridor, my mood steadily improving as I went. Seamus jogged behind me, laughing as we made our way to the classroom. Pushing the door open, we walked to our desks, McGonagall eyeing us with a hint of a smile.

"Settle down now, class, and listen up. Today we will learn how to transform a goblet into an animal. For example, this one right here. Configureto!" And to the surprise of the entire class, the rusty goblet popped, and in its place lay a cat. The feline creature got up and looked at us disdainfully before making its way out the door. McGonagall started handing out goblets to everyone and cries of 'Cofigureto!' could be heard all over the place. I placed my goblet in front of Seamus, saying the magical word as I did so. In a puff of smoke, there was a little baby hamster licking its whiskers and staring up at me. I smiled and turned to Seamus, calling out "Now you try!" Seamus took a deep breath and yelled the word. There was a bang, and pieces of goblet flew in every direction known to man. Everyone ducked, and as the smoke cleared, Seamus' sooty face came into view. Guilt was written over all his features, and it only then that i realised I was sprawled on the floor. I tried to get up, and then realised that my hands were covered in fur. I rolled onto my back. Everything was FURRY! I screamed. But what came out of my mouth was NOT a scream.

"SQUEAK! SQUEAAAKKK!" I screa-squeaked. McGonagall took one look at me and scooped me up.

"Finnegan! Run him to the hospital immediately! I will deal with you when you return." she ordered briskly. I tried to tell McGonagall that it wasn't Seamus' fault, but all that my mouth emitted was those horrendously annoying squeaks. Seamus looked as if he was about to cry as he took me from McGonagall into his trembling hands and skidded out the door. Tears started to trickle down his freckled cheeks as he ran with me to the hospital wing. I buried my face into his hand in an effort to tell him that it was alright.

When we arrived, Madam Pomfrey looked none too pleased to see us. "Seamus! I would have thought that you knew about the no pets rule! NO ANIMALS IN THE HOSPITAL!" she screeched.

"But Madam Pomfrey! This isn't an animal, it's a student!" Seamus pleaded, his voice wobbling dangerously. Madam Pomfrey's face changed. "What on earth happened?" she cried, sitting Seamus down on a bed. Tears threatening to overflow, Seamus told his tale. When he was done, Madam Pomfrey was an odd shade of green. She, too, sat down. "Seamus, if what you've told me is true, then Dean is unlike any other wizard I've ever met! It clearly states in the Trasfiguration Rule Book that _no wizard can be transfigured."_ I looked at her in disbelief.

"Then why the hell is Dean a frikkin' MOUSE?!" Seamus shrieked, sounding an awful lot like a girl.

"Of course, this Rule Book WAS written by prejudiced purebloods, so maybe the fact that Dean is Muggle born has something to do with it." muttered Pomfrey. Seamus' mouth formed an 'o' shape. I was shocked. _How had this not happened before?_ I wondered.

"Dean must have very compatible blood for transfiguration to occur. For most wizards, even muggle born, this would be impossible. A full transfiguration takes a very precise kind of blood to even happen. Almost all muggle born wizards would end up with, at most, a tail or whiskers. Not a full - bodied transformation!" said Madam Pomfrey excitedly. The fact that a new discovery had been made within her own Hospital Wing in Hogwarts, not some research lab, was astounding to her. _But now,_ thought Dean, _they had to find a cure._

"How do we get Dean out of this shape?" prompted Seamus.

"I don't know, Seamus, I don't know." she replied.

It was time to get the headmaster involved.

Authors' Note:

Yeh that's rite there are two of us not wrong my grammar is fiiiinee. I'm gonna go under the pen name of curly, and my friend is forks. Yep, we stole the idea of the Marauders. Hoping this fic is gonna be looooong. My fave ship is Dramione ( we're working on th fanfic right now; get the name to you later) but I like this one too, so you're in for a treat! Over to Forks for another entryyy have fun y'all…

Sup y'alllll Forks here - my patronus is a snake soooo, ok deamus is my favourite ship so we thought we'd make a fanfic with all our great ideas! we're also doing a dramione fanfic which we'll be posting so look out for that!

DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! WE NEED FEEDBACK! 

thx ;)


	2. Chapter 2

A New Opportunity

The First Tears

-Seamus

I felt terrible. I couldn't believe that it was possible for someone to mess up so bloody badly. As I sat in the chair beside the bed I had insisted they place Dean in while they figured out how to cure him. I know it was a little silly to give a whole bed to a tiny mouse, but to me, he was still my Dean. The boy who made me feel welcome and loved even in my very first hours here. Hogwarts would not have been the same without him; Hogwarts would not have been home without Dean. With this thought, I promptly burst into tears, and buried my face in my still sooty hands. The sleeping mouse enveloped in sheets stirred, and I immediately quietened my sobbing so I wouldn't wake him. I couldn't stand it any longer; I jumped to my feet with a sudden rush of adrenaline and ran, stumbling, to find Madam Pomfrey. There must have been a cure somewhere, at least for animal transfiguration. I rounded the corner, and just managed to stop myself from ploughing into Professor McGonagall.

"Ah, Finnegan, I was wondering when I would see you next." She said, smiling, her soft Scottish accent pronounced from tiredness.

"I'm sorry, Professor. I was trying to find Madam Pomfrey, but maybe you would have an idea of how to reverse the spell?" I asked hopefully. Perhaps it was fate that I had stumbled into McGonagall that night.

"I'm afraid, Seamus, I do not know a spell that can reverse the Configureto spell. However, Professor Snape was telling me the other day that he had a potion for turning animals into humans and back again that he wanted to teach his fifth-year students. Maybe you could ask him." She said, her normally harsh eyes softening with sympathy for me. I wished she would not look at me that way; I did not deserve her sympathy. I had done a despicable thing, it didn't matter that it was not intentional.

"Thank you very much, Professor." I said hurriedly. If I could have avoided talking to Snape, I would have, but I was desperate; I was desperate to get my friend back.

I sprinted down the hall, eager to speed up the process. Eventually, I found him sauntering around the second-floor corridor, most likely looking for someone to punish. The effort to slow my pace was immense, but I managed it as I walked up to the greasy-haired potions professor.

"Professor Snape, I was wondering if I might ask you if you know a potion that might help Madam Pomfrey change Dean back into a human being. Prof-"

"Dean Thomas?" Snape inquired, his watery eyes narrowing.

"Y-yes. He is a mouse, at the moment, Professor, and I-"

"So you need a potion to restore this friend of yours to his original state?"

"Yes sir." I murmured. I held my breath as Snape seemed to ponder this request of mine.

"Professor McGonagall recommended my assistance, Finnegan?"

"Yes, Professor. She said that you were the best at potions in the school, and so you would be ideal to help us. She really did seem very proud to have a potions master of your intelligence, Professor." You can catch more bees with honey, my mam once said. Seemed she was right, too.

"Oh, she… she did, did she?" Snape said, straightening his robes and smoothing down his hair. "Very well then, Finnegan. Show me the boy."

-Dean

I woke up to see Snape leaning over me. I screamed - or squeaked? It was a terrifying sight; his head was as large as a two-storey building from where I was sitting! My nose twitched, telling me that someone else was there; Seamus. I jumped out of the way of Snape's giant (and very hairy) hand, and scurried over to Seamus. He laughed; it felt as if my eardrums were being assaulted by twenty electric guitars on full volume. I toppled over and lay, panting among the bedsheets. Seamus stopped laughing abruptly, and, very carefully, took me in his soft hands and placed me on the pillow. Still dealing with the aftershocks of my ears exploding, I looked over to where Snape was whispering hurriedly to Seamus.

"I suppose I will be able to concoct an appropriate potion for this, Finnegan, but you will have two weeks detention for Transfiguring another student! I will have the potion to Madam Pomfrey by next week."

"Next week?!" Seamus whispered in disbelief. "You mean he'll… he'll be like this for the rest of the w-week?"

"Yes, Mister Finnegan, now I suggest you return to lessons." Snape whispered furiously. Seamus took one last look at me, sat huddled on the pillow, and fled from the room. I could hear his sobs for a good ten minutes after that. I crawled under the bedsheets, not once looking at Snape. Of course I was glad he could fix this, but he didn't have to go and be so insensitive about it!

There was one advantage of being a mouse; I could hear everything, every footstep, every clearing of a throat - even every breath of those in the room. I could also hear what Seamus had whispered at the door:

"I'm so sorry. I-I'll come back for you. I'll never leave you behind." My eyes filled with tears at the memory. He really cared about this, even if I didn't. This would haunt him, I just knew it. His heart was pure and untouchable by those he did not consider his friends. I had made it through. I had made it into his heart of solid gold, and had melted its core. I was there, and I would never leave him. He had chosen me, and I would treasure that for as long as he allowed me to.

Seamus Finnegan was something special. I just didn't know how I could get the rest of the world to see it.

-Seamus

I let the tears flow properly now; I couldn't believe that I'd let this happen! _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_ My brain screamed as I whacked my forehead on the cream - coloured door frame. I heard a frantic squeaking, and quickly hurried over to Dean. His doe-eyed expression melted me, and I felt helpless about the horrible situation. Carefully, I picked him up in my hands, cradling him on both sides. He was clearly trying to communicate, and I was REALLY annoyed that I couldn't understand him. My eyes glistening, I brought him up to my face and nudged him with my lips.

The mouse (which was brown) turned a very deep shade of mahogany. I started blushing for no apparent reason, and hurriedly ran out of the Hospital Wing. As soon as I could, I popped him down on a table. His furry cheek began to rub against my arm, and I sighed, patting his head absentmindedly. "What are we going to do?" I whispered dejectedly. He stared up at me, and I smiled gratefully. "Well, whatever happens, I hope that we'll have each other to get through it."

If I could have seen into his mind, I would have envisioned a small eleven year old boy with his head in his hands, smiling and blushing like there was no tomorrow.

-Dean

I gazed up at Seamus, my heart filled with sorrow. I wished that I could have spoken to him, to tell him it was alright; that I was alright. A silent tear slipped down his cheek. I nudged up his cheek and dried it with my fur. I couldn't stand to see Seamus cry, it broke my heart every time. My sensitive ears picked up a change in his heartbeat; it sped up rapidly, then slowed down to the point that I was sure it would stop. What was he thinking about? _What was making him so emotional?_ Who knew. All I could focus on was cheering Seamus up in that moment, not even on the fact that I remained a mouse, furry from my nose to my hide.

I tried to say, "It's alright, Seamus, it doesn't matter. Just be happy, will you? For me?" but all that came out of my mouth were soft squeaks.

Hi it's curly here sorry it was a bit short… :)


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